The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation draws a balance of its activity during the 18th Parliament, summarized in a report published today and available at the following link: La Farnesina in Parlamento – Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale.
The publication offers an overview of the main fields of interaction with the Chambers of Parliament: they span from international crises to economic diplomacy, from development cooperation to the promotion of the Italian language and culture, from the protection of fellow Italians to parliamentary diplomacy. The report also makes a detailed list of interventions by representatives of the Foreign Ministry before the Senate and the Lower Chamber, the contributions to lawmaking activities, the acts of parliamentary scrutiny and policy orientation concerning the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI). The online version also includes links to videos and to the minutes of the hearings.
“The constant dialogue with Parliament assures the transparency of our foreign policy and strengthens Italy’s international image,” specified the Secretary General of the Farnesina, Ettore Francesco Sequi.
In the four and a half years of this Parliament, the Foreign Ministers appeared 84 times in hearings, briefings, and question times; the Deputy Foreign Ministers and Undersecretaries of State represented the Government 593 times; 105 senior officials were heard in 105 hearings. The following are the topics addressed most frequently: the developments in Libya, Afghanistan, the Middle East and Ukraine; human rights; assistance for companies and fellow Italians; international treaties (with 141 agreements ratified). The legislative provisions and the parliamentary acts followed by the Farnesina amounted to 799; with a total of 1175 questions, interpellations, motions, and resolutions finalized within its scope of competence; and 137 reports dispatched to Parliament.
Some of the most significant legal provisions passed included those that assured support to Italians abroad and to exports in response to the pandemic-induced crisis and later to the Ukraine war, with the creation of the Crisis Unit for Exporting Companies. These activities were made possible through the transfer of the competence for the internationalization of the Italian corporate system to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; through the provisions that laid the grounds for tackling the Ukrainian crisis; and through the many resolutions relative to international missions.
